Make-A-Wish whisking girl, family away to Hawaii

Brooke Balck, 3, left, puts on a tiara she received as a gift during a party at her home in Ladera Ranch where the Make A Wish Foundation granted her wish for a trip to Hawaii. At age 2, Brooke had a heart transplant. LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Make-A-Wish in O.C., Inland Empire

4,500: Wishes granted since inception

300: Wishes granted in 2012; 335 are expected to be granted this year

30: Years local chapter has existed

$6,500: Average cost to grant a wish.

700-plus: Children in O.C. and Inland Empire who qualify for wish.

74: Percent of parents who say wish was turning point in their children's battle against illness

Source: Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County and the Inland Empire

About dilated cardiomyopathy

•It's a chronic disease of the heart muscle that weakens and enlarges the heart that causes it to pump inefficiently and can lead to heart failure and sudden death.

•It affects about 30,000 children in the U.S. and has a mortality rate higher than childhood cancer.

LADERA RANCH – Nearly four years ago, the only wish the Balck family had for their daughter Brooke – then two days shy of 9 weeks old – was that she survive.

Brooke had just been diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy. By age 2, diseased muscle fibers in her heart had stretched it to three times the size of a normal 2-year-old's heart, making hers too weak to pump blood efficiently. Brooke was placed at the top of a transplant list, and on Aug. 18, 2011, she received a heart transplant.

Thursday, amid a sea of pink presents, princess dresses, cupcakes and balloons, a wish of a different kind was fulfilled for the Balck family.

Folks from the Make-A-Wish Foundation showed up with some good news: Brooke's request to hula dance in Hawaii had been granted.

"I am going to do some hula because you get to wear a pink flower in your hair and a grass skirt at the beach," Brooke said, giving hugs to Make-A-Wish's Tracy McQuaid and Monica Cordero.

Brooke's mother, Jenni Balck, was overwhelmed.

"We've been through so much, and I know there is so much to come. But this is going to be a wonderful time for the family away from everything," she said.

The last time Brooke was on a jet was to be rushed to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center to see a heart specialist. On Sunday, a jet will head in the opposite direction, taking the family on a weeklong trip to Oahu to swim with dolphins, relax on the beach, visit Sea Life Park and hula dance at Paradise Cove Luau.

"It's pretty amazing," said family friend Melissa Mednick. "They definitely deserve their time away as a family to just feel normal."

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes to kids ages 2-18 with life-threatening conditions. Brooke was referred to the foundation by her hospital transplant team last May. The foundation cleared her wish with doctors before surprising the family.

"Our mission is to enrich their human experience with hope, joy and strength so they can forget what they are going through," said Senior Wish Coordinator Michelle Cuellar.

Though Brooke is doing well with the help of seven daily medications, her body's immune system could start to attack the donor heart, Balck said.

"And most transplanted hearts only last 10 to 12 years," she added. "We are hopeful that the medication will let her keep this heart longer."

The family also is hoping the future holds medical advances to save their daughter's life a second time. Meanwhile, they "focus on the present and live life to the fullest," father Chris Balck said.

Brooke is looking a little further into her future.

"I am going to be a mom," she said. "Because then you can be helpful to others."

Find out more about organ donation and the Balck family's effort to increase the number of registered donors at brookesbigheart.com.

Brooke Balck, 3, left, puts on a tiara she received as a gift during a party at her home in Ladera Ranch where the Make A Wish Foundation granted her wish for a trip to Hawaii. At age 2, Brooke had a heart transplant. LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Tracy McQuaid, left, a volunteer with Make-A-Wish Foundation gets a hug from Brooke Balck, 3, who just learned the that her wish to go to Hawaii was granted. Brooke and her family leave for Hawaii on Sunday. LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Brooke Balck, 3, center, is all smiles during a party at her Ladera Ranch home where Make-A-Wish Foundation volunteers, Monica Codero, left, and Tracy McQuaid, right, surprised her by granting her wish to go to Hawaii. Brooke and her family leave for Hawaii on Sunday. LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Brooke Balck, 3, plays in her backyard during a party where she was surprised when Make-A-Wish Foundation surprised her by granting her wish to go to Hawaii. Brooke and her family leave for Hawaii on Sunday. When Brooke was 2 she underwent a heart transplant. LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Jenni Balck, left, helps her daughter Brooke, 3, open presents at a party where the Make-A-Wish Foundation surprised her by granting her wish to go to Hawaii with her family. LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Brooke Balck, 3, left, smacks her lips as she sees the cupcake cake at her party where the Make-A-Wish Foundation surprised her by granting her wish to go to Hawaii with her family. LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Tracy McQuaid, left, a volunteer with Make-A-Wish Foundation, gets a hug from Chris Balck after she presented him with spending money for a trip to Hawaii. Balck's 3-year-old daughter, Brooke, who underwent a heart transplant at age 2, made the wish to go to Hawaii and was granted the wish during a party at the family's Ladera Ranch home on Thursday. LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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